The Latest Brexit Votes: What Are Theresa May’s Options Now?

The Latest Brexit Votes: What Are Theresa May’s Options Now?

The UK was supposed to leave the EU on March 29th, so this week marked the start of what was supposed to be Britain’s last two weeks in the EU. But with the British Parliament still torn in two, every proposed Brexit deal has been declined, and the UK is no closer to having a solid Brexit plan.

For a while, MPs have backed the opinion
that ‘no-deal is better than a bad deal’, but this week saw a change of
opinion. An overwhelming majority voted against a no-deal, and so the rest of
the week saw several votes about how best to proceed with Brexit.

MPs vote to extend Article 50

Despite May promising over and over again
that come March 29th, Britain would be out of the EU, one of the
biggest decisions this week was whether or not to delay Brexit. The majority
voted for extending Article 50, hoping to give May more time to come up with a
plan that both Britain and the EU will accept.

March 29th will mark the end of
the two-year period, meaning if no deal has been agreed upon by then, there’ll
be a no-deal Brexit.

So on Thursday night, to avoid leaving
without a deal, the MPs voted to extend the article, giving Britain until the
30th June to find a deal that both the UK and the EU agree to. But
there was a catch. British MPs voted for the extension on the condition that an
official Brexit deal would be decided before Wednesday 20th March.

Even if Britain were able to come up with a
successful Brexit deal in such a short space of time, Prime Minister Theresa
May still needs to pitch the proposed extension to the other EU countries. For
Article 50 to be extended, the EU need to agree that an extension is the best
way forward.

MPs vote against a second referendum

As well voting to delay Brexit, UK MPs also
voted on whether or not to bring about a second referendum. Those who voted to
remain in 2016 have long been campaigning for a second referendum, unhappy with
the results of the first vote.

But regardless of the chaos that ensued the
2016 referendum, or the fact that Brexit was a close call, the UK government
has a responsibility to act on behalf of the people. The people voted to leave
for valid reasons, and holding a second referendum would be considered
undemocratic.

What is the next step?

These votes mean that regardless of the
continued chaos, Britain has only a few days to come up with a Brexit deal that
UK MPs and the 27 other EU member states agree to. The UK is still legally
obliged to leave the EU on the 29th March, unless the extension is
agreed. But even then, a deal will need to be decided quickly.

Even if the EU agree the extension, many are
doubtful that a solid plan will have been reached before 30th June.

May is using the threat of endless
negotiations, as well as a possible no-deal to persuade MPs to accept her deal.
And to some extent, it seems to be working. MPs who have previously opposed May
at every step of the way are now planning to vote for the next deal on the
table.

What are Theresa May’s options?

The events and votes of this week have
limited May’s options. Much of the pressure she has previously applied to MPs
has been based on the threat of a no-deal, but that’s no longer an option.

So May only really has two choices going
forward: put forward another deal that conforms to the EU’s terms, or stop
Brexit from happening altogether.

However, as McVey pointed out, a no-Brexit
would be undemocratic, and would cause outrage in both the UK and the EU.

So May’s only real option now is to create
a deal and hope it’s agreed by all parties. However, with only a few days left
to create an agreeable plan, it’s unclear how beneficial a deal will be for the
UK, or what will happen if the deal is rejected yet again.